Editorial: Democrat Howard Berman, Republican Susan Shelley for the new 30th Congressional District

ON June 5, voters in the San Fernando Valley will face one of the most competitive congressional races in recent history as they choose from a field that includes popular Democratic representatives Brad Sherman and Howard Berman. This two-incumbent race is a result of last year's redrawing of political districts that put both Sherman and Berman in the new 30th District.

The two Democrats - former colleagues and now rivals - lead the pack of candidates hoping to finish in the top two in the June primary and advance to the November general election.

We hope those two will be Berman and Republican newcomer Susan Shelley.

We urge Democrats to support Berman. While both he and Sherman have been hard-working congressmen for their districts, Berman's nearly 30-year career has been more distinguished - and his politics have been more moderate. He's more likely than Sherman to cross the aisle for legislation, which may be why some Republicans like Rep. Darrell Issa and Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich have uttered election-time words of support for Berman. While not making an official endorsement, Issa told a gathering that he wants Berman back in Congress for another term.

Berman also holds more power in Congress than Sherman, which translates into influence for California. He's the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and has been pivotal in securing funding for the San Fernando Valley in the wake of the 1994 earthquake and for improvements to the 405.

He's also a heck of a nice guy.

That last bit was news to the editorial board, which hadn't met with Berman in recent memory. That is in direct contrast to Sherman, who makes it a point to keep in touch with local media and with constituents. Members of Berman's campaign have mocked Sherman for his frequent town-hall meetings, but we think Berman would do well to emulate that approach if he wins a next term. Part of the responsibility of a congressional representative is to be accessible - and answerable - to his community.

Meanwhile, we hope that Shelley will win support of Republicans - as well as independents. Her campaign is a long shot, though, because the state's Republican establishment has generally gotten behind another candidate.

But hopefully this race will boost Shelley's political profile, because she is the exactly the type of GOP candidate California needs. She's smart, thoughtful, sensible, a constitutional scholar - and moderate enough to get support from voters of all affiliations. That's to say, like many Californians, she's conservative where it counts (on fiscal policy and personal liberty issues) and liberal about social policy (she's pro-choice, for example).

In fact, both Berman and Shelley are the most moderate representatives of their party in this race.

When California voters endorsed independent political redistricting and open primaries, they were endorsing the idea that more moderate candidates would be good for the state. These two candidates represent that ideal.